Karlos

Hi we have done Calais to Les in the Pyrenees on the first day a good 15 hours and been in Salou for lunch on the second day. It all depends what day of the week you will be travelling as France can be very busy on a Saturday especially at this time of the year.

Barbara

Took the ferry to St Malo arrived 8am, drove to Irun, slept in hotel, drove to Valencia next day. However there were 2 of us, I have been know to have 3 overnights from Calais to Valencia. We are taking the ferry to Bilbao this time it is a reasonable drive to Valencia in a day from there. We use toll roads it will take longer if you do not pay.

No_heroes

I’ve done Calais to Madrid in 2 days on a motorbike. Bordeaux is definitely the place to stop. Good clean hotels on the ring road with steak, chips and red wine within 10 mins walk. Rest and then push on!

Wiggly Woo

née liaoyang

I’ve done Calais to Bayonne loads of times by 6pm having overnighted in an aire on the A16 60 miles west of Calais. I’ve also done Bilbao to Valencia easily in a day in a Hymer. Bilbao is 2hrs from Bayonne so it’s comfortably do-able with just one stop around Biarritz.

I’ve done Barcelona to Cardiff via Calais in under 15 hours in my neighbour’s Ferrari.. but that’s another story!

westfalia

I’ve done Calais to Bayonne loads of times by 6pm having overnighted in an aire on the A16 60 miles west of Calais. I’ve also done Bilbao to Valencia easily in a day in a Hymer. Bilbao is 2hrs from Bayonne so it’s comfortably do-able with just one stop around Biarritz.

I’ve done Barcelona to Cardiff via Calais in under 15 hours in my neighbour’s Ferrari.. but that’s another story!

I wasn't suggesting a route, just giving an example of distance travelled in a day.
I guess it depends on the OP's crossing point, but we like Portsmouth to Caen(depending on your drive to the south coast you may like a fresh start in the morning) Caen to Valencia is the fastest route through Bordeaux San-Seb and Zaragosa at about 15hours
Yes, Calais to Valencia is 16 hours on the fastest routes but that coast road in Spain is a drag.
But if you are going to break up the journey go a nicer route like over the middle of the Pyrenees via Toulouse, Vieha, the scenery is stunning.

Doorbundle

A little O/T but we once travelled Cherbourg - via Bordeaux to Mont de Marzan in a day, with two children. (Two drivers) we ate and stayed in the M de M Campanile overnight, then across Western Pyrenees and on to Luarca www.campingloscantiles.com N Spain next day. Kids were leary by that time. Great roads though. Two weeks camping - tent in those days. Returned Bilbao to Portsmouth 33 hours on the smoothest Biscay crossing ever. Children were enthralled with whale watching. Always used that crossing thereafter when camping in Portugal at http://campismo-o-tamanco.com/ Hope the first bit helps! Enjoy your trip.

briwy

We regularly go down to the Pyrenees just south of Lourdes in one go. Calais takes about 14 hours, Dieppe about 12 and Caen about 10/11. That's in daylight and good weather legging it down the autoroutes which is really boring so now we generally keep off the toll roads as the cost has gone up a lot in recent years and take a couple of days. Much more relaxing. My daughter drives back from Barcelona in one go, just stops and has a nap when she feels like it but I wouldn't recommend doing that.
If you like the mountains stay overnight Bordeaux area and then go over the Pyrenees on one of the passes or tunnels. Beautiful roads and scenery. Probably 8/9 hours to Valencia.

From Calais to French Spanish border can be done ... We drive from the east of the Netherlands to Toulouse.. it is little over 11 hour drive...
But actually we have stopped using the payage Toll roads, so now we do it in one some times two stops ... .
This year we are planning to go to Alicante we just go and we will see how often we make an stop over. The nice thing about the Cali, holidays start as soon you turn the ignition key...

Have a nice and safe trip...

Frans....

andyinluton

We came down the easternmost route on Thursday afternoon - always previously come down via Paris - left Calais’s at 4:30 slept just north of Lyon at 11pm, left there at 9.30 am got to Girona at about 2pm following a lengthy lunch stop.

Compared to our usual Paris Millau route it was certainly a lot flatter & traffic was remarkably quiet. Cruise control on 134kmh all the way to Lyon rarely using the outside lane and frequently not another car in sight. Round Lyon speed limit is lower but once clear of the city virtually no traffic until Montpellier where it built up leading to the Spanish border.
Fuel consumption was considerably reduced due to the flatter route, but it really was boring! I normally enjoy the up and down over the mountains.

Traffic northbound looked awful south of Lyon with huge stretches of stationary traffic.

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